The Weblog
This page contains news, event information, and other items added by Ian and Adam, the resident farmers at Old 99. We send out a message every week, but most are set with a delete date about two weeks later. I archive some of the posts if they have content other than weekly availability of produce and meat.
You can send me questions too, which if they are of a general nature, I can post to this Old99 blog.
Old 99 Farm Week of Dec 2, 2012
This post expired on December 03, 2022.
For orders, go to www.old99farm.locallygrown.net. Bring egg cartons PULEEZZ@!!
We had a successful event with Nicole Foss last sunday; over 60 people attended, 2/3 stayed through to the end of the discussion and were still asking questions after 5o’clock. Her conclusions:
- prepare for a very different world
- there will be a major initial shock, (maybe financial, maybe energy related) followed by a long (decades) period of adjustment
- no more business as usual
- embrace a simpler future
- contrast expectations of entitlement with reality of limits
She was emphatically supportive of permaculture design approaches to local food security. I will have another post summarizing the many points she made in her 2 hour lecture.
For now, suffice it to say that indeed you can jump in and learn what your options are with permaculture design of your home or small farm, this weekend. This was not planned, but my permaculture mentor, Peter Bane, is travelling to the Buffalo area and has agreed to come for a visit and workshop. Sunday Dec 9, 1pm to 5pm, cost is $100 for one to three people. So round up a couple of friends and come to the farm (or Copetown Community Centre, depending on response). Register here online or via email but advance registration is required.
Nicole was quite positive about what permaculture can contribute to building family resilience to shocks and surprises, financial, energy, etc. in coming years.
Peter will speak on “Designing Resilient Communities: How our Towns and Suburbs can Incubate the new Eco-Agriculture and Launch a Food Security Revolution”, building on his handbook. This is for people/families with a quarter-acre lot or a small farm, in the city, suburbs, or beyond.
The Permaculture Handbook will be available for sale, price C$45. If you want one, let me know in advance so Peter can bring enough with him. I think this book offers a clear and comprehensive picture of what low-impact, high-satisfaction living can look like in the post-petroleum age. It shows how to reduce dependence on money, on fossil fuels, and on distant supplies of critical resources. The book answers such vital questions as: how much food will the family need; what kinds of crops are most important and valuable to grow; where can we invest our scarce financial resources for the biggest return; how can the farm enhance local ecosystems and communities; what tools and machines are really needed to take care of the land; and a thousand others. More importantly, it teaches the reader how to make complex decisions about land and livelihood consistent with new and emerging economic and ecological realities.
see www.permaculturehandbook.com